Principia Mathemagica: The Secret Council of 1688
by Abe P
Summary: The year is 1688. In an unprecedented move, Pope Innocentius XI has called for a secret gathering of the leaders of the Christian world. Ostensibly, the Vatican wishes to restore peace and unity to Europe, but the rumors run far darker, mentioning certain secrets that have lain dormant for half a century. *This is a historical fanfiction ("Mythology" was the closest I could get)


_"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." -Galileo Galilei_

* * *

**Cardinal Paluzzo** **Albertoni**  
_Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, Camerlengo of the College of Cardinals, Prefect of the Sacred Consulta Propaganda Fide_

The room had been painted over a century ago, decorated. with a Renaissance flair for the fantastic and pagan. Its walls depicted bands of centaurs, satyrs, and chimeras stranger still. Painted reatures waited beneath the arched windows, bearing the features of a dozen different animals, their bordering on the sexually suggestive, a thought which crossed the Camerlengo's mind more freely than he would have liked.

Across the labyrinthine complex known as the Papal "Apartments," buildings collided with each other at odd angles and half-floors, each built under a new Pope's forgotten vision. And so over centuries of architectural warfare, ugly rooms such as this one had begun to slip away unnoticed, claimed by the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith.

Any member of the College of Cardinals could tell you, incorrectly, that Cardinal Paluzzo Albertoni was the most powerful man in Rome. As the nephew of a former pope, he had been a part of Vatican politics for over 25 years. As Camerlengo of the Church, he controlled the Vatican's local finances and accounts; as Camerlengo of the Cardinals, he also controlled its assets abroad. Through the Propaganda Fide, he oversaw all of the Church's missionary efforts.

It was no secret that the Pope's health had been failing for some months; already, the Camerlengo's exceptional quantity of titles and responsibilities left him in charge of running the Vatican single-handedly. But the Camerlengo was not a diplomatic man, nor was he well-loved, and this left others with a far greater influence over the Church's political affairs.

In fact, there was exactly one man in Italy more powerful than the Camerlengo. (And one woman, but the undying Queen knew little of the Vatican's inner workings). It was Alderano Cybo who had wanted this meeting, even if the Pope had been the one to summon Paluzzo.

Cardinal Cybo oversaw the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, an organization formerly known as the Roman Inquisition, and little changed by the new name. Through the Inquisition, Cybo had achieved control over the people of Rome; and now, as Dean of the Cardinal's College, he controlled its oligarchs, while as Cardinal Secretary of State he had become its chief advisor on foreign policy.

Cardinal Cybo _was_ a diplomatic man, and of course his request was one of diplomacy. The Pope, and through him Cybo, wished to organize the largest Vatican Council in a century. The costs would be nothing to scoff at, and many arrangements would be required, especially due to the council's necessity for secrecy.

This was where Paluzzo had grown worried. Cybo wished to send invites to many very important men, more than a third of them Protestants and heretics. Worse, at least half a dozen were heretic _scientists. _Clearly, he had something absurd in mind, and finally the Camerlengo began asking questions.

"...Yes," he ended with, "If France joins the Holy League, it will indeed be a great day for Christendom. The world could use our guidance and leadership before another war breaks out, but can you really expect them all to show up?"

And the Pope laughed, once, twice, a slow gruff wheeze that brought Paluzzo to silence. With a nod, the old man turned his head towards Cardinal Cybo. "Please," he grumbled, "I believe my faithful servant has earned our trust in this."

"Very well," came Cybo's reply, a glint of hunger in his eyes. "It is the Pope's noble wish that the Christian world continue to prosper in strength and peace. But there is much, much more at stake in this than you already know..."

* * *

Sometime after the sun had set, the Camerlengo limped out of the room, his head still reeling.

Cardinal Cybo turned to the Pope, who shook his head. "You and I were exceptional, in our youth," the Pope spoke slowly, "But this is no young man, and I fear he will never have the resolve to properly defend himself."

"His service to the the Church and God is still admirable." Cybo shrugged. "As for what we can teach him... in six months, it may not matter."


End file.
